Sunday, 10 July 2016

Silenced Humanity.

Here is what
I can't understand. It's in the news today.

After their
2-year-old son, Daniel, was pronounced dead in hospital, his mother and her
boyfriend went home to watch tv. And in another news recently, a father raped
and pimped out his young 11-year-old daughter. When arrested, all he could say
was this: "It was fun while it lasted."

In the first
case, the mother (and her boyfriend) slapped her son almost everyday and was
charged for child abuse. Yesterday, she was sentenced to 11 years jail and her
boyfriend to 10 years and 12 strokes.

Here's a
brief background. She has six children. Her eldest is 20. Her ex-husband, the
boy's father, was in prison for drug offences. She lived with her boyfriend.

They abused
little Daniel for five-week straight (starting in Oct last year). Slapping him
repeatedly, making him stand with his hands on his head wearing only a nappy,
forcing him to eat a spoonful of dried chili, and stamping on his chest.

This was
what happened the day before he died. Daniel refused his breakfast and his
mother slapped him three times. When Daniel fell, her boyfriend stamped on his
chest. Later that evening, while Daniel was made to stand, he felt tired and
rested his hand on the bed frame. For that, he was slapped again.

As Daniel
was lying on the floor out of exhaustion, the couple fed him chili and made him
stand again. As he wavered due to fainting spell, they launched another string
of abuse at Daniel. This time the abuse went full throttle.

They slapped
and kicked his chest and stomach and Daniel hit his head against the floor. As
he was lying on the floor, they force-fed him chili for the second time until
mucus came out of his nose. The next morning, at 8 am, the paramedic were
called in on a motionless Daniel and they can't find a heartbeat.

The second
abuse happened in Australia. Her father repeatedly raped his daughter when she
was between 11 and 13 years old. He even invited strangers to abuse her while
he watched and participated. One of the men who answered the call was a former
church pastor.

It reports
that "on one occasion when the father and another man were filming, the
girl was shown shackled to a bed, wearing a dog collar, and in the footage, she
could be seen struggling against the restraints and pleading with (her father)
to stop."

Lesson? I
can hardly marshal up one...

When Jesus
admonished his disciples to let the children come to him, do not forbid them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these, three minds come to my mind.

First, I
wonder, what was running in the minds of little Daniel and that young
Australian girl when the one who was supposed to protect them becomes their
tormentor? I can only imagine their fear, confusion, anger, agony and pain.

The judge
who sentenced the couple said, "The idea of a mother causing such grievous
hurt and ill-treatment of the baby she had carried for nine months is simply
incomprehensible... (Daniel) had been subjected to abuse and pains at the hands
of the very persons who should have been his source of support, comfort and
happiness."

Second, what
was running in the minds of their supposed protector turned abusers? I guess
the evil of men is no stranger to the history of humanity. We are capable of
anything, the highest good or the unthinkable evil. And the most
incomprehensible of them all is the evil that arises out of supposed love,
support and protection.

It was
reported that when sentenced, both of them showed no emotion. This was in stark
contrast to Daniel's biological father and Daniel's former caregivers,
"who could not contain their tears afterward."

One of the
caregivers who took care of Daniel from birth until his mother took him back
last October said, "He was a happy boy. We love him so much. He was not a
difficult child. Even though I didn't give birth to him, I treated him as my
own son."

Daniel's
father cried, "I kept having images of my son being bullied...how they
kicked...punched, forced him to eat chili. I keep thinking about my son. I
hoped that I could celebrate Hari Raya with him. But I can't."

And...

Third, what
was running in Jesus' mind? He must have seen it all. Experienced it himself
even. Felt the helplessness. Endured the agony and pain. What then went through
his mind at such time when Daniel died from the abuse, when the young daughter
was raped by her father and strangers, and when million of children go through
deprivation, torture, starvation and sexual abuse everyday, and eventually
succumbed?

Alas, I will never know or understand, even a fraction
of, the mind of God.

At such
time, it is cold comfort to say that we live in a fallen world with fallen
world consequences, and a better world awaits on the other side. In sheer
helplessness, I have to accept the unacceptable and move forward to change the
changeable. At times, you need more than the serenity prayer to bridge the gap.
You need serenity.